"What, Spiritual Energy?"

Hearing what Wei Fan said,

Lin Ziming was instantly taken aback. He glanced at Daoist Huang with the corner of his eye and then asked:

"Clan Leader Wei... Instructor Wei, are you sure you sensed Spiritual Energy?"

Wei Fan nodded affirmatively and said:

"One hundred percent sure, Colonel Lin. You should know, my innate Divine Sense is sharp, and my perception is considerably stronger than that of ordinary Cultivators."

Hearing this, Lin Ziming couldn't help but straighten his index finger, thumb up, making a gesture resembling a gun beneath his chin.

He fell into deep thought.

With Daoist Huang present, he and Wei Fan couldn't discuss many things openly.

But both were well aware of what discovering Spiritual Energy at the cliff truly represented.

One must remember, based on earlier tests by the rabbits, Spiritual Energy was confirmed nonexistent in the local area presently!

The core level had collected air samples from almost all regions nationwide to ensure the accuracy of this result.

From bustling cities to serene rural areas, and vast uninhabited zones....

But who would have thought that now Spiritual Energy would actually be found at Qingcheng Mountain?

Thinking of this, Lin Ziming suddenly felt something was amiss:

"Strange, when the organization extracted the Cultivation Technique, air samples should have been collected from Qingcheng Mountain.

If Qingcheng Mountain had Spiritual Energy, why didn't we detect it then?"

Then he thought of something and asked Xiaozhao, the staff member responsible for receiving them:

"Xiaozhao, which areas did you collect air from at Qingcheng Mountain back then?"

Zhao Zhiming recalled for a moment and pointed towards the direction of the mountain gate and said:

"From Yuqing Palace, the Ancestral Hall, and the entrance to the mountain gate."

"Didn't you collect from Father-in-law Peak here?"

Zhao Zhiming shook his head:

"No, Qingcheng Mountain only had three sampling points, so this cliff area wasn't collected."

Lin Ziming nodded thoughtfully.

He didn't blame Zhao Zhiming for being negligent.

Sampling tasks involved the entire country, reaching Qingcheng Mountain for sampling was already very meticulous, requiring specific areas was unrealistic.

Sampling one area each from the front, middle, and back regions was theoretically flawless.

After all, who knew this cliff had Spiritual Energy, it outwardly appeared just as an ordinary Taoist place.

Then Lin Ziming said to Wei Fan:

"Clan Leader Wei, can you sense where the Spiritual Energy is coming from?"

Wei Fan solemnly shook his head:

"The exact location is still indeterminable, but it seems confined near the cliff.

On our way here, we passed the mountain gate and the Ancestral Hall, and I didn't find any traces of Spiritual Energy, not even at the Father-in-law Temple by the cliff."

Hearing this, Lin Ziming's already furrowed brows tightened further.

At that moment, Daoist Huang suddenly thought of something and added:

"Colonel Lin, there's a minor occurrence during my meditation, which I wonder if it's appropriate to mention."

Lin Ziming looked up and said to him:

"Daoist, feel free to speak."

Daoist Huang stroked his beard and said:

"Based on my personal experience, meditating at dawn seems more effective than at other times.

In hindsight, could it be because the Spiritual Energy concentration is slightly higher at dawn?

Of course.

This is just a feeling without evidence, which could also be my psychological effect."

Hearing this, Lin Ziming instinctively glanced at his watch.

It was now 4:37 PM.

He then looked around.

Realizing that with just him and Wei Fan, it was nearly impossible to discover anything, he finally said:

"Since that's the case, let's stay for a night at Qingcheng Mountain.

And Daoist Huang, there's no need to arrange accommodations, we'll just pitch a tent here by the cliff.

Also, Xiaozhao, please report the situation here and see if the think tank has any better solutions."

Zhao Zhiming nodded upon hearing:

"No problem, I'll handle it right away."

Qingcheng Mountain, though a secluded place for cultivation, is now well-developed with network stations, making communication with the outside world simple.

For instance, Daoist Huang's geographical knowledge of the valley winds was learned online.

Purification doesn't mean complete isolation from the world.

Rather it means focusing on Daoism, interacting with the mundane world but not seeking fame or wealth.

Thus, after a little over ten minutes, a reply came from the core level:

Camping supplies will be delivered soon, and within eight to ten hours, a team with detection instruments will arrive on site.

At the same time.

From tomorrow onward, Qingcheng Mountain will be completely closed to tourists under the guise of hosting a Daoist ceremony.

Learning of the impending assistance, Lin Ziming, feeling less burdened, couldn't help but feel a bit more expectant.

Mountain closings like this are common during the off-peak tourist season since not all Taoist institutions focus solely on money.

Some mountain gates close nine or ten times a year, like in 2017 and 2018, Qingcheng Mountain closed three and four times respectively.

Hmm, it's purely a mountain closing, not because something was discovered, eh.

After instructions were relayed from the core level, everyone began preparations for camping and mountain closing.

Wei Fan volunteered to hunt wild rabbits, while Zhao Zhiming went to coordinate the mountain closing with personnel.

Lin Ziming followed Daoist Huang back to the library of Father-in-law Temple to see if there was any other information available.

The library at Father-in-law Temple is small, about the size of a single shelf in a city-level library.

Inside the library.

Daoist Huang picked up a book and introduced it to Lin Ziming:

"Colonel Lin, all the books in the temple are here, a total of two to three hundred volumes.

Over half of them are Daoist books compiled and printed in the last twenty years, while only about ten truly record ancient legends.

When Qingcheng Mountain's front was developed for tourism, people from the cultural relic bureau came to inspect.

According to them, the oldest historical book is this 'Records of Celestial Grain' in my hand.

The original name of Qingcheng Mountain was Celestial Grain Mountain, which was renamed Qingcheng more than a thousand years ago, and being named Celestial Grain hints at its compilation era.

Of course, the original has been collected by the Tianfu Museum; what I have is a reproduction."

Lin Ziming took this ancient-looking thread-bound book, leafed through it casually, and then asked:

"Daoist Huang, does this 'Records of Celestial Grain' record any secrets of Qingcheng Mountain?"

Daoist Huang hesitated for a few seconds and said:

"The book does record some mysterious content, which, in modern terms, is somewhat romantically classical."

Lin Ziming: "...."

Then Daoist Huang continued:

"For example, ancient texts record that beneath Qingcheng Mountain there's an Array of the Hidden left by an ancient Immortal, leading to the Underworld.

Later, ghosts and spirits escaped from it, wreaking havoc, the vicinity in ruins.

Later, the patriarch Zhang Daoling personally came, and built an Earth Palace above the array to suppress the Netherworld, located directly under Father-in-law Peak.

Later, when the patriarch Zhang transformed into an Immortal, he used his remains as an anchor to quell the disorder caused by ghosts and spirits, thus preserving lives within a thousand-mile radius."

Lin Ziming listened quietly to the introduction, keenly noticing a term:

"Daoist Huang, you mean... there's an Earth Palace under Qingcheng Mountain?"

Daoist Huang nodded and said:

"Colonel Lin, I understand what you mean.

However, the Earth Palace is nothing more than a nebulous rumor. Countless sages from various Daoist Palaces have spent tremendous effort searching for it over the centuries, to no avail.

Back then, Zhang Xianzhong even sent his godson to explore Qingcheng Mountain, but they returned empty-handed.

Even the late Master Daoist Zhang Zhishun himself came several times, wandering the mountain forest for months, ultimately yielding nothing.

I learned my Taoist practices from Daoist Zhang back then.

Later, he sat alone watching the sky from a cliff for a long time, shaking his head before leaving.

So, Colonel Lin, the rumors remain too nebulous and aren't worth believing too much.

Moreover, as per 'Records of Celestial Grain,' when ghosts wreaked havoc, it was across a thousand miles.

But west of Sichuan Province lies the Hengduan Mountain Range, sparsely populated and uninhabited; what trouble could ghosts cause there?

So if such events truly occurred, the records should mention havoc across much of Sichuan Province, not just a thousand-mile radius, which is too imprecise, we must trust science."

Lin Ziming: "..."

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